The regionals are going to have to raise salaries. Nobody who lacks a trust fund or who was either trained in the military or flew for the fun of it due to another well-paid profession will ever meet the new minimum qualifications without regional pilot salaries going up; the return on investment just isn't there. When I was a lot younger, my attitude was that I'd pay to fly airplanes for a living. Older and hopefully both wiser and more realistic about life, I value my time and I control where I live. On that score, regional pilot jobs just aren't that attractive despite being able to exceed the minima. And that comes from someone disillusioned from both law and politics and would love to do anything other than what I'm doing. But I won't work a job that costs me money and that's what being a regional pilot would involve. I'd love to fly for a living (the parenthetical being for the fact that I don't really need a job), but it's not worth my time -- not with the salaries being paid.
Yeah, but after having a chance to go and read the article, I see that the author mentioned that regionals just can't sustain that. Look at Great Lakes. I remember a year and a half ago, hearing about the great ATP debate and potential reform, and a lot of people were on edge. My friends and colleagues who were done with flight school and had almost acquired enough hours through instructing were hoping to jump ship and sign on with anyone that would take them, especially if they could get a jet transition and fly regional jets, and hopefully get grandfathered until they could actually get 1500 hours. There was also buzz that the regionals and airlines might push back, trying to fight off the ATP hour mandates. But I guess it never worked (or never happened), because now the 1500 hour requirement is law. I had considered the military, but that's a different discussion for a different day, especially since a lot of the guys I know that fly for operations like SkyWest, went through civilian training. A lot of those military guys get out after 10 to 20 years with tons of hours, and go straight to mainline or cargo couriers. Great Lakes is going to try to qualify for the restricted ATP. I was kinda hoping that the airlines would have had more power and turn the tides. The way I see it, either lots of money is going to have to come from somewhere to increase regional salaries, or someone in government is going to have to change their minds on hour requirements.
